EMBROIDERY TECHNIQUES: TAPESTRY VS. NEEDLEPOINT
Just as different painting media like oils and watercolours offer distinct results, the art of hand embroidery encompasses a wonderful variety of techniques, each lending its own unique character to your stitches. Let's explore some of these fascinating approaches:
Surface Embroidery: The Freedom of the Needle
This is likely the style that first comes to mind when you think of 'embroidery.' It's a remarkably versatile discipline, allowing you to create decorative patterns and designs directly onto the fabric's surface. Without the constraints of a grid, you can explore a wide range of stitches, from smooth satin stitch and defining stem stitch to the delicate French knot, and many many more. Techniques like Crewelwork and Silk Shading (also called needle painting) fall into this category.
Silk Work: Apple Blossom Work in Progress, by Elin Cathcart
Fun Fact: Did you know, the renowned Bayeux Tapestry isn't technically a tapestry at all, but rather a Crewelwork embroidery? The key distinction is that coloured wool yarns were stitched onto a pre-woven linen cloth rather than being woven into it as part of its structure. This historical misnomer likely arose from a less precise understanding of textile methods in the past, where large narrative hangings were broadly termed 'tapestries.'
Crewelwork: Part of a panel from the Bayeux Tapestry
Counted Thread Embroidery: Precision in Every Stitch
This discipline relies on the even weave of the fabric, where stitches are carefully counted over a specific number of threads to form precise and often geometric patterns. The fabric's inherent grid guides the placement and size of each stitch. Familiar techniques include the hugely popular Cross-stitch and possibly less well known Blackwork.
Blackwork: Grumpy Goldfish by Elin Cathcart
Canvas Work, Needlepoint or Tapestry in the UK!
It’s all the same thing, just named differently depending where you are in the world. Here, you'll stitch through a firm, open-weave canvas, completely covering the base fabric with yarn. Designs are often guided by charts as well as hand-painted or printed canvases, and the stitches used tend to be straightforward and geometric, such as the foundational Tent stitch and various canvas filling stitches such as Mosaic, Cashmere Diagonal, or Byzantine.
All the kits you'll find in the current Sew Sew Mellow range are Needlepoint / Tapestry kits.
It is worth pointing out that similar to the Bayeux Tapestry misnomer mentioned earlier, tapestry in this context shouldn't be confused with the type of tapestry that is woven on a loom. It's a quirk of British sewing culture that we've ended up calling canvas work (or needlepoint) tapestry, so try not to get confused!
Needlepoint / Tapestry: Evening Light Tapestry kit by Sew Sew Mellow
Exploring Further Techniques:
Beyond these, there are more specialised areas to discover:
Whitework: Creating delicate and textured designs using white thread on white fabric, offering a study in subtle beauty.
Goldwork: Employing metal threads – gold, silver, or their imitations – to add rich and often three-dimensional embellishment, historically seen on significant garments.
Stumpwork (Raised Embroidery): Using padding, wire, or separate elements to build three-dimensional forms within your embroidery, resulting in tactile and sculptural effects.
Appliqué: A technique where fabric shapes are cut out and attached to a background, often secured and enhanced with embroidery stitches.
It's worth noting that these embroidery disciplines often intertwine, and many stitchers combine elements from multiple techniques to craft truly unique and intricate pieces. The world of embroidery continues to evolve as contemporary artists explore new materials and approaches, pushing the boundaries of this rich tradition.